K-pop Idol and Big Bang member Seungri quits group; could be indicted on prostituion charges

K-pop was hit with a huge scandal recently when it was revealed that K-pop mega-group Big Bang member Seungri was under investigation for his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring.

Seungri is one of South Korea's biggest K-pop idols and is apparently the youngest member of Big Bang. Seungri reportedly made the announcement on his official Instagram account on Tuesday.

"I think I'd better leave the entertainment industry at this moment," he wrote. "I just cannot bear causing any further damage to people around me, while being hated and criticized by the public and being treated as a nation's enemy during the investigation."

Reportedly Seungri has for years maintained the squeaky-clean image required of South Korean entertainers.

It is being reported that in recent months a scandal dogging the Burning Sun nightclub in Seoul, which Seungri sat on the board of, had put that reputation in danger and it had also caused some to question how clean-cut K-pop idols really are.

The idol added: "I'm truly grateful for all my fans in Korea and in the world for showing much love for the past 10 years," he wrote on social media. "I feel that I need to end it here for the reputation of YG and Big Bang."

It is known that K-Pop stars are expected to conform to notoriously high standards of conduct, both from their management and fans. Apparently, their labels impose restrictions on who and how publicly they can date, what they wear and how they behave in public.

K-pop groups like Big Bang and BTS have seen their popularity rise in the west as well. K-pop has grown to be one of South Korea's most prominent exports to the world.